Picking Up the Pieces
by LGCoffeeAddict
Summary: Addison only had one mission to complete during her visit to Seattle: get in, save the patient and get out. That mission worked for about three seconds-then Alex Karev was put on the case to assist her. Mission? Not accomplished. Set in Piece of My Heart
1. Chapter 1

Picking up the Pieces

A **Grey's Anatomy** fic by Gigi

Chapter 1: Was that Red?

**A/N: I would expect this whole updating while working thing to wear off pretty soon for two reasons: my boss is getting on my other bosses' backs about not giving me anything to do, and I'm only working for two more weeks because the week after that school starts back. So enjoy it while it still exists!!**

"Dr. Montgomery."

"Dr. Karev."

"Hey."

Addison stood staring at her former intern awkwardly for a minute before holding out her arms. "Hey," she gretted.

"We're hugging," Alex said, puzzled, as he wrapped one arm around her waist and patted her back with the other.

"Yup, I hug now. It's what I do, so..." Addison pulled back, smiling and trying to calm her nerves. "So you're my guy." Oh, how she had so often wished that were true.

"What, you think I would let anybody else in on a case like this?" he responded before he focused on something past the now-brunette's shoulder.

Addison turned around and, upon seeing Ava standing there, felt the buried humiliation from a year ago bubble right back up to the surface. Her face fell a little bit when she turned back around and Alex said he'd catch up with her later, but there was nothing she could do. It wasn't like she had any sort of claim on him. They just kissed once and had sex once, both of which she had initiated, both of which he stomped on her heart shortly after and both of which were over a year ago. _Suck it up, Addison,_ she chided herself, faked a smile and walked away.

"What are you doing here?" Alex demanded.

Rebecca clutched her jacket closer to her belly as she tiptoed to watch the five-foot-nine supermodel click-clack her way down the hall. "Was that Red?" she asked, grinning. "Is she back?"

Alex turned around to watch her go, too. "Yeah, that was her, although Red kind of doesn't apply anymore. Her hair is darker," he answered, disgruntled. He'd always liked her natural red hair. "She's not back. She's here for a case, and I'm her intern again."

"But you're a resident now," Rebecca pointed out.

"Yeah, well, it's still my territory," slipped out of his mouth, but Alex had no idea where it came from.

Rebecca laughed to herself. "Gynie is or _she_ is?"

Shaking his head, Alex looked back at his ex-patient-sort-of-girlfriend. "Why are you here?"

The grin slid off her face. "I'm pregnant," she declared, but when she saw the blood drain out of his face, she quickly amended, "It's not yours."

"Couldn't you have said that with the first part?" he asked, panic still coloring his voice.

"Sorry," she apologized. "It's Jeff's, and we're happy again. I told him about me coming back up here and that you and I slept together, but he said he didn't care. I actually believe him this time. So we

are giving it another go."

"Why are you telling me?" Alex was more pissed at the fact that she interrupted him an Addison than the fact that she was going back to her husband. "I haven't seen you for a month and a half. I kind of

figured you didn't want me anymore. I'm over it." Strangely enough, those words were actually true. He wasn't heartbroken over losing her, but he remembered trudging around the hospital, angry and confused, for a month after Addison left.

"I needed some closure," she admitted. She looked at Alex and smiled, amusement glittering in her eyes. "Besides, I'm glad I came."

"Why?"

"If I didn't, you would be the idiot who lets Red get away again." Rebecca's eyes softened. "Don't be an idiot."

**8D**

Power-walking to catch up with Addison, Alex grabbed her elbow and pulled her into the nearby supply closet. In the back of his mind, he registered that this was the same supply closet where he told her he wasn't interested, but he didn't care.

"Karev, what are you doing?" Addison demanded, the situation being far too familiar for her taste. She was even wearing her glasses, just as she had the first time.

"I didn't want Ava," he blurted.

Confusion swam in Addison's crystal blue eyes. "What?"

"At the wedding. You said I wanted Ava, and I thought I did. We were together for a little bit after you left. But I was in a crappy mood for about a month after I found out you had moved to LA. Ava and I

broke up about a month and a half ago, and I really didn't mind. I didn't want Ava," Alex confessed all in a rush.

While she was inwardly glowing at the fact that he missed her, Addison couldn't set herself up again to be disappointed. So she put on her sympathetic face and said, "I'm sorry things didn't work out between

you and Ava." Alex cringed at the cold professionalism in her voice, making Addison want to take back what she said just then and tell him that she really _wasn't_ sorry about Ava because she took him away from _her._ But she forced herself to continue. "Now, we have a patient to see so I suggest we get to her."

Alex couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth. She started to turn to leave and he suddenly got very angry. Grabbing hold of her arm, he whipped her around and pushed his lips onto hers.

Just when she thought she was about to get away, he went and did _that_! Addison struggled against the kiss at first, but Alex hadn't given her much wiggle room — she wasn't pushed up against the door, but she was pretty damn close. She hated to admit it to herself, but as hard as she resisted, she was actually enjoying the kiss, and before she realized what was happening, she was kissing him back with just as much enthusiasm.

Alex wanted to dance when he felt Addison's body relax and her arms snake around his neck, and he would have if that didn't mean breaking the world's most mind-blowingly amazing kiss. He took a small step forward, pressing her against the door as his tongue slipped past her lips. His hands wandered down to her hips and then back up to the belt on her jacket.

Unfortunately, feeling the slight tug on her jacket broke the spell for Addison and reminded her of where they were. Through a sheer force of will that made her incredibly proud of herself, she turned her face and stopped the kiss. Still breathing hard, she looked Alex Karev in the eye and tried to ignore that he was still flush against her. "What...the _hell_ was that?"

His face was only an inch or two away from hers. He didn't have to answer. He could go on kissing her and never say a word, and he seriously considered that option before whispering in a husky voice. "You kissed me back."

"So?" Horror struck Addison and almost made her squeal when she realized the warm thing between her legs that was forcing her skirt to ride up was one of Alex's legs. It took everything she had to keep a

straight face.

"So you were wrong about both things at the wedding. If I wanted Ava, I wouldn't have wanted to kiss you, and if you hated me, you wouldn't have kissed me back," he answered smugly. Addison hated that smirk; that sexy smile always distracted her.

Refusing to dignify his assumption with a response, Addison dropped her hands from the nape of Alex's neck and motioned for him to remove himself from against her body so she could straighten herself. "We have a patient," she insisted, surreptitiously trying to yank her skirt back down.

**A/N: I seem to really love Addison and Alex in supply closets because this is **_**at least**_** the second fic in which I've written them in supply closets. Those and elevators. I love elevators. Maybe it's just any enclosed space. Anyway, if you can think of any other really fun spaces like elevators and supply closets, or if you just want to tell me whether or not you liked this chapter, REVIEW!!**


	2. Mess With Me

Picking up the Pieces

A **Grey's Anatomy** fic by Gigi

Chapter 2: Mess With Me

**A/N: I was so excited about this fic, and I only got two reviews. Sad.**

Addison opened the door to the supply closet and peered outside to see if anybody was watching. Indeed, there was Nurse Debbie with her eyes trained on the door. She must have seen Alex—no, _Karev!—_pull her into the closet and want to find out if they had any fun. Instead, Addison power-walked out of the closet, looking angry and pissed off, which wasn't a far stretch. It was better for Debbie to think they had a fight than that they had sex, which they _didn't_, even if they had gotten dangerously close.

Alex stepped out of the closet with a determined look on his face. He was going to make her listen if it was the last thing he did.

Safe to say, Debbie was utterly lost.

**8D**

"Karev, hand me her chart please," Addison requested, holding her hand out as she took out her glasses and a pen. Alex complied, but not without making sure he brushed her fingers. Addison's heavy-lidded eyes flitted up to meet his for a split-second at the touch before she grasped the chart and took it out of his hand as if nothing had even happened. "I need you to draw some blood and get the standard pre-op tests done."

"Got it," Alex said, stepping closer to the woman and reaching across her to retrieve the test order form that sat on the nurses' station counter. In his bent position, his head was level with her chest, which he noticed was moving slightly quicker than it should have been. Smirking, he straightened, sheet in hand. "I'll be back," he whispered huskily. Addison's pen stalled on the chart for a moment and continued writing.

"Just go," she urged breathily as she tried to calm herself down. Unfortunately, the two words came out more as a plea than an order. She knew what Alex was doing. She could see that he was trying to get her all hot and bothered, but that didn't stop his attempts from working like charms. Her pulse was racing, and she couldn't help but shift her weight from one foot to another.

Alex finally obeyed her and left, but he peered over his shoulder just in time to watch her raise her head from her chart, take a deep breath and glare at him with dark, indigo eyes.

**8D**

Insane. Alex was driving Addison completely insane. It wasn't even noon yet and Alex had managed to rile her up on multiple occasions. Desperate for an escape, Addison hid in the NICU. Richard had given her the entire OB/GYN wing for the duration of her stay, in hopes of wooing her back to Seattle, so she had many tiny patients to check up on. She was doing just that when she found herself alone in one of the NICU rooms, just gazing at the small baby before her. The little girl in front of her was a pre-me: she had to come out of her mom's belly at only 28 weeks, and her lungs were not developed nearly enough.

Addison always found solace staring at babies. They were so young, so innocent, so oblivious to the problems they would have to eventually face. They found everything new and exciting, and hell, they were adorable. Addison gave this baby, Katie, her pinky to hold on to; it was her own way of letting the baby know she wasn't alone.

The door creaked open, revealing Alex Karev. He walked over to the warmer and stood beside Addison. "The test results came back," he declared softly, smiling at the baby girl. "She's all set, so I scheduled her surgery for tomorrow afternoon."

"Great, thank you, Dr. Karev," Addison said. She never took her eyes off of Katie. "Does she remind you of someone?"

Alex picked up Katie's chart and read through some of the notes. "Meredith's sister's kid," he answered after a minute of perusing the chart. "Laura, she was in the same situation as this one." He placed his hand on the Plexiglas, absentmindedly stroking it with his finger as if it were the actual baby.

"Why do I remember her so well?" Addison asked herself.

"I'm pretty sure she's the baby we almost kissed in front of," Alex replied almost immediately. He thought of that day a lot.

Addison laughed quietly. "Oh, that."

Pulling his eyes away from the small girl, Alex focused on the breathtaking woman in front of her. "She was one of my favorite cases," he confessed.

Addison at last looked him in the eye. "It better not be because we almost kissed," she warned.

"Someone thinks a little too highly of herself," he shot back. "It was what helped me appreciate this specialty a lot more." Addison tilted her head skeptically. "And because we almost kissed," he confessed.

She rolled her eyes, but she made no attempt to hide the small smile that had adorned her face as she looked back down at the baby. "I'm just glad Laura survived, otherwise people would have thought I killed her on purpose."

"That's what you said before," Alex pointed out. "Nobody would have thought you killed Laura, not even Meredith."

"Why not?"

Alex was staring at her so intensely that she felt his eyes on her. "Because you're too kind and caring to take any anger out on a baby," he whispered. "Besides, I would have kicked their ass if anybody even thought of accusing you."

Addison turned her head and gazed at her former intern in wonder. Her eyes flickered down to his lips as she had a rush of deja vu. She wanted so much just to lean in and kiss him, but she forced herself to break the moment. Stepping away from the baby's warmer, she looked down at the floor and apologized before fleeing the scene.

**8D**

Leave it up to Alex to completely ruin any wooing he may have accomplished that day by yelling at the patient's husband in front of Addison. While he mentally kicked himself over being so stupid, Addison was silently thanking him. His outburst allowed her to get angry at him again. It allowed her to push the moment in the NICU behind her again. It could just go back to him trying to seduce her again, which she much preferred to actually having to confront her feelings about him.

And so he did, but he tried another approach. He made sure that the next time she saw him he was flirting with a young nurse.

"If you're quite finished, Dr. Karev," Addison announced herself, sounding just as pissed off as ever. The nurse scurried off after taking one look at the surgeon's eyes, which reflected just the slightest bit of jealousy. Bingo.

"You could have joined us if you wanted to, you know," he suggested, once again the cocky intern she remembered.

"Thanks for the offer," she said dryly. "I'll pass." She handed him a chart for a Maude Cova, and declared, "Sloppy. Do it again and have it back to me in a half hour."

He took the chart and made to walk past her before wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close enough to hear him. "We wouldn't need half an hour," he growled and released her.

If it had been anyone else who said that to her, Addison would have slapped him silly. She would have thought it lewd and disgusting. Instead, his touch left a trail of fire and what he said sent her hormones into overdrive. Striving for the upper hand, she put her hand on her hip and quirked an eyebrow at him that usually sent him running. Now, however, it only made his irises darken.

"You really don't want to mess with me again, Karev," she warned.

"And yet you want me to," he finished for her, walking off before she could say anything back.

_You suck, Alex Karev._

**A/N: So what do you think? I really love flirty, sexy Alex, and the plan had been originally to keep him flirty and inappropriate in NICU, but it felt so wrong doing that in front of the babies! Okay, you need to review now.**


	3. Mess Back

Picking up the Pieces

A **Grey's Anatomy** fic by Gigi

Chapter 3: Mess Back

**A/N: Okay, here's the deal: I'm freaking in **_**love**_** with Addison and Alex. Okay? I watch clips of them and get heart palpitations (shut up, I'm the kid of two doctors). They're sexy, smart, witty, GORGEOUS, need I say more? For instance, the episode, Wishin' and Hopin', where Addison's finger keeps going to her mouth each time she fantasizes about Alex? Look closer, her eyes get darker. Damn good acting (I'm going to stay in the realm of the show and say it was just damn good acting instead of suggesting Kate and Justin have a thing for each other because that would be slightly stalkerish). **_**Any**_**way, I can't stop just drooling over this couple, and none of my other fics are solely based on him chasing her by getting her hot so I **_**must**_** update this one **_**now.**_** I **_**love**_** sexual tension in case you haven't noticed. On with the story!**

Addison sat down at the lunch table and immediately started ranting to Callie. "I haven't even been here one day and Alex Karev is already driving me up a wall," she complained, opening her bag of chips.

Callie groaned. One year later and she _still_ couldn't stop talking about him! They just needed to jump each other and get it over with so Callie could stop living in the suspense. "What did he do this time?"

"Hit on me every chance he got," Addison answered, shoving some chips in her mouth, daintiness be damned.

Callie snorted into her water, and she started laughing as she dried her face with a napkin. "Really?"

Looking at her friend oddly, Addison nodded. "Yes. First thing after we meet—and Ava arrives, by the way—he pulls me into a supply closet and says he wanted me all along, not Ava."

"That's the soppiest thing I have ever heard Karev say," Callie interrupted.

"I told him I was sorry he and Ava didn't work out and that we had better get to the patient," Addison continued as if Callie had never spoken. "He got pissed off and took it out on my lips."

Water flew everywhere as Callie spit out her water at Addison's last remark. "He _what?_" she yelped.

Addison started dabbing at her damp lab coat a little disgustedly and repeated what she had just said. "He trapped me against the door and kissed me."

"Did you kiss him back?" Callie asked eagerly. She saw the flash of guilt that appeared in Addison's eyes. "You did!" she squealed.

"Shut up!" Addison hissed, noticing a few heads turn at Callie's high-pitched noise. "Fine, I kissed him back. He started tugging on my jacket so I stopped it. Don't look at me like that, Callie," she admonished as Callie's face fell. "I'm not going to just jump into supply closets and have sex every time I have to come up here for a surgery. Anyway, ever since then, he's been doing absolutely everything in his power to get me all flustered."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean unnecessary touching, inappropriate whispering, invasion of personal space, flirting with everything that has a pulse," Addison expounded, running her hand through her auburn hair.

"I understand why the first three would make you...uncomfortable...but not the last one," Callie declared, eyeing her friend warily, "unless he was making you jealous."

"He was _trying_," Addison insisted, not wanting to admit even to herself that she wanted to throw her stiletto at the nurses he flirted with. "But he's making it hard to concentrate when he keeps trying to mess with my head."

Callie thought about her friend's situation for a minute. Then a brilliant idea flashed into existence. "So mess back," she suggested evilly.

Addison's blue eyes focused on Callie's brown ones. "What does _that_ mean?"

"Be as sexy and bitchy to him as possible. Meet him stroke for stroke."

A wicked smile bloomed on Addison's face. "Mess back."

"Mess back."

**8D**

Alex was just finishing up the chart on the Cova baby when he heard the tell-tale clicking of a certain OB/GYN's heels on the tile. He looked up and hungrily watched Addison make her way down the hall like it was a runway, swaying her hips ever so slightly. Her dark locks bounced up and down as the fast pace sent a rush of wind through her hair every time she took a step.

"Karev, where's that chart?" Addison demanded once she had reached him at the nurses' station. She had taken off her tan leather jacket, so when she put her hand on her hip and leaned on one foot, her silhouette was displayed nicely. She beckoned for the chart with her other hand, her half-open eyes never leaving his. She was an expert at the bed eyes, and she exploited that look with all she had.

Alex actually stammered as he produced Maude Cova's chart, wondering how the hell she pulled off that look so well and still completely managed to stay professional. "R-Right here."

Addison smiled on the inside, satisfied with the effect she was having on him, and finally tore her eyes from his to examine the chart. "Much better," she approved. He stuttered out a thanks. "Now, if you can keep a tight enough rein on yourself not to go off on another patient, you may accompany me to see the next one." He nodded vigorously. His eyes wandered down Addison's back when she started walking away from him. She looked over her shoulder and smirked at him. "And stop staring at my ass," she ordered.

She strutted down the hall smiling. _Piece of cake_, she mused.

**8D**

"Who's presenting?" Addison asked, entering Room 2312 and seeing Christina Yang surrounded by a slew of interns. Christina nodded to Lexi Grey.

"Shannon Winters," Grey began, "age, 15, admitted last night for cyst removal and a biopsy for the mass on her left ovary. Her biopsy is scheduled for today at three p.m."

"Good," Addison nodded. "Shannon, this is Dr. Grey. She's going to prep your for your biopsy and explain the procedure to you. If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask her or get one of the nurses to page me."

Shannon nodded, looking intensely at Addison as if trying to place her face to a memory. Addison gave her a small smile and left the room, waiting outside the window as Yang and her interns filed out on their way to other afternoon rounds. Then it was just Addison and Alex standing outside the room and watching Lexi talk to Shannon.

"I've seen her somewhere," Addison murmured softly, leaning on the wall to the side of the window. "Has she been here before?"

Alex stared at the fifteen year old a little bit longer before he recognized her. "Shannon—wasn't she the one who--?"

Addison picked it up, too. "--left her baby in a trash can at a high school?" She looked at Alex in realization and then back at the girl. "And now she's back with possibly ovarian cancer."

"Looks like she didn't learn anything last year," Alex muttered under his breath. Addison's head whipped toward him, and Alex was surprised to see anger in her eyes.

"If you say _anything_ to Shannon, I swear I'm going to--," Addison stopped short, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. "She's still a patient, who is scared that she might die at fifteen. It is _not_ your place to judge her, and it isn't mine either." Alex just stared at Addison. She seemed very like she was when they first started working together—full on boss, full on teacher, full on bitch. Apparently, she had the same thoughts. "God, Karev, sometimes I wonder if _you_ learned anything last year," she declared, walking away from him as quickly as possible.

_What the hell was that?_ Alex asked himself. He chased her down, grabbing her elbow (yet again) and dragging her to an empty hallway that nobody ever used because it was so out of the way of everything. "What the hell is your problem?" he demanded.

"My problem is that you don't seem to have grown up at _all_," Addison shot. "Your comment was completely immature and unprofessional."

"My comment was _not_ in front of the patient," Alex defended. "I grew up more than you realize."

"Really?" Addison's eyebrows raised, her eyes full of disbelief. "I don't see how. First you yell at the patient's husband, then you can't seem to be able to stop flirting with nurses long enough to correctly fill out a chart, and now you judge patients whose stories you know _nothing_ about!"

"Seriously?" Alex stepped closer to his boss and jutted out his head so it was closer to her face. "You're upset because I _flirted_? Don't forget about the fact that I also scheduled your surgery for you so you could check up on your other patients, or our conversation in NICU."

"I'm not upset that you flirted," Addison retorted, her voice gaining volume. "I'm upset that flirting and inappropriate comments and touching seems to be higher on your list of priorities than the patients!"

"You're just mad at me," Alex said forcefully. He saw he hit the nail on the nose when his boss's mouth opened and her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. "You're mad at me for being such an ass to you a year ago. I get that—I _was_ an ass. I was a stupid, moronic ass. You're mad that now that I've figured out what I want, you've almost completely moved on, and you're afraid to get hurt again. You're mad that _you still want me_." He took a deep breath, preparing for the final blow. "And so you see me yelling and judging and flirting and it just reminds you of last year, and it makes you angrier."

Neither of them noticed that they had come within a few inches of each other, but Addison floundered for a reply. She hadn't even admitted it to herself that had possibly been why she kept picking fights with him, and to hear him tell her exactly what was going on with her completely threw her. "You were an ass," she agreed, "and you still haven't stopped being one." She knew it was a half-ass answer, that she was just denying her feelings at this point, but it was the best she could do. Alex studied Addison's face, and before he could stop himself, he wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her flush against him. "What are you doing?" Addison asked softly, almost as if she was trying to not cry.

He kissed her, softly, this time. He knew that the only way to convince her he wasn't after her just for her sex appeal—and let's face it, she had a _lot_ of that—was to make this kiss in no way like the one in the supply closet. He poured every feeling he had for this woman into the kiss, praying for her to relax and reciprocate with _something_.

Addison felt a tear roll down her cheek as she brought her hand up to his face. This kiss was comforting, loving, but most of all asking for forgiveness. So she kissed him back, finally opening the floodgate of feelings for Alex she'd sealed off a year ago. The two stood in the middle of the hallway, with his arms around her waist and back and her arms pressed against his chest. Her fingers rested on his chin and she lost herself in the kiss.

**A/N: I think I know what Juli (Darling Pretty) means when she says she has **_**no**_** idea how this happened. Seriously. NO IDEA. Lexi was supposed to feel ridiculously uncomfortable because Addison and Alex were trying to out-sexify the other. This was supposed to be flirty, sexy Addison up against flirty, sexy Alex. Why didn't that work? Because I actually got summoned to do some work at my job and so when I got back to writing, I was in a completely different mood. REVIEW PLEASE!!!!**


	4. Nazi's Back

Picking up the Pieces

A **Grey's Anatomy** fic by Gigi

Chapter 4: Nazi's Back

**A/N: I'm in a big soppy mood, so I'm sorry if that leaks into this.**

Miranda Bailey stopped the nurse who was passing by her. "Have you seen Dr. Montgomery?" she asked. She'd just gone by the fifteen year-old's room and found Lexi Grey talking to her, but no sign of Addison.

"She went that way a few minutes ago," the nurse answered, gesturing down the hallway. "She looked upset with Dr. Karev."

Bailey had an odd feeling about that. Thanking the nurse, she hurried down the hallway and arrived just in time to hear Karev say something that shocked her into silence as she observed the pair.

"You're just mad at me," Alex said forcefully. "You're mad at me for being such an ass to you a year ago. I get that—I _was_ an ass. I was a stupid, moronic ass. You're mad that now that I've figured out what I want, you've almost completely moved on, and you're afraid to get hurt again. You're mad that _you still want me_." Bailey was confused. Had something gone on between her intern and her boss when she still lived here? "And so you see me yelling and judging and flirting and it just reminds you of last year, and it makes you angrier."

"You were an ass," Addison agreed, "and you still haven't stopped being one." Bailey's breath froze in her throat as she saw Karev wrap his arm around Addison's waist and brought her flush against him. "What are you doing?" she asked. Her voice wavered almost as if she was going to cry.

Bailey looked on in shock when Karev kissed Addison tenderly. Even more surprising, Addison brushed her fingers on the bottom of his chin and kissed him back. A single tear rolled down the redhead's cheek as she closed her eyes and tilted her head.

Bailey suddenly felt like she was intruding. This was such an intimate moment that even the Nazi couldn't ruin it, even if it _was_ one of her former interns kissing one of her closest friends. She turned her back and guarded the door. The one thing that _would_ ruin this moment would be if someone else came in and saw them. She'd smack Karev later.

**8D**

The two finally came up for air, but they didn't move away from each other. Addison stayed wrapped in his arms and dropped her head to his shoulder.

"I don't know how I should be feeling right now," she confessed.

"What do you mean?" Alex was flying. She'd kissed him back. And she hadn't objected to him keeping his arms on her back. And her head was on his shoulder.

"I mean I'm leaving tomorrow after my surgery," she replied, lifting her head from his shoulder. "What happens then?"

"I've never done the long-distance thing," Alex began, "but I'd be willing to try."

Addison's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"You?" Addison squeezed her eyes shut as the word slipped past her lips.

"What does that mean?" She didn't sound as if she believed him, and that kind of ticked Alex off.

_Great going, Addison_, she thought bitterly. "That's not what I meant," she fumbled. "I just know you."

"You do?" Alex pressed, trying to contain his anger.

"Your type. Commitment can be a challenge for you, and long-distance is a challenge for everybody."

His anger evaporated. She had a point. The reason he blew her off a year ago was because he couldn't commit. He couldn't blame her for thinking that would happen this time, too. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I don't care," he declared softly.

Addison bit her lip, digesting all that had taken place since she'd come back. "If you're willing to try, then so am I," she finally announced.

**8D**

Alex got paged by Bailey and went to find her at the nurses' station. "Hey, you paged me?"

Never looking up from her chart, Bailey asked in a steely voice, "What exactly happened between you and Dr. Montgomery last year?"

Alex paused. He knew it would be best just to answer her question without asking her how she knew there _had_ been anything between him and Addison last year. The Nazi had her ways. "It's hard to explain," he answered.

"Give it a shot," Bailey insisted, eyes still focused on her chart.

"We kissed after George's dad died, and then she avoided me for a week. I told her I wasn't interested. Then Ava happened, and we got closer. We slept together. Ava told me she wanted commitment, a family guy, so I broke it off. I wasn't that guy," Alex said.

"Then what?"

"Then she went to LA."

"So you're telling me you were the reason she left?" Bailey glared at her resident. _You were the reason my best friend left right before I needed her most?_

"I was probably the last straw," he admitted shamefully, "but I don't think I was the only reason."

"And now what's going on?"

Realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "You saw us," he exhaled. She nodded even though it wasn't a question. "We're trying long-distance. I'm dropping her off at the airport tomorrow."

"Karev, I swear to God if you hurt her, I'll make the rest of your residency a living hell," Bailey warned. "She's had to deal with enough crap already. Don't screw this up."

Now Alex was confused. He'd expected her to yell at him like she had when she found out Meredith and Derek were together almost two years ago. He hadn't expected to get her blessing, as odd of a blessing as it was. "I'll try my best," he promised.

**A/N: Slightly shorter chapter, but I'll try to make the next one longer if you **_**review**_**.**


	5. Picture This

Picking up the Pieces

A **Grey's Anatomy** fic by Gigi

Chapter 5: Picture This

**A/N: Yeah, I had no creativity for my chapter title. Then after writing almost 2,000 words I realized it no longer applied, so I just stole the title from an Ashley Tisdale movie (DON'T SUE!). I'm zapped of any creative juices, so I hope this is up to par. I don't know if it is, but I hope so!**

"I hate airport security," Addison commented as she hefted her Louis Vuitton carry-on bag onto her shoulder.

Alex walked right beside her and eyed the line to the metal detectors. "Me, too," he agreed. "It means I don't get to kiss my girlfriend at the gate."

Addison smiled and turned face him. "Say that again," she ordered happily.

"Say what? Girlfriend?" Alex laughed as Addison's eyes lit up and her smile widened.

"I like the way you say that," she declared, stepping toward him and placing her hands on his chest. Alex's hands found their way to her waist.

"How do I say that?"

"Like it means something." Their faces were inches apart, and it only just then registered to both of them how close they were. "Hi," she breathed.

"Hi," he replied gently, losing himself in her bright blue eyes.

Addison turned her head to the security line. "I should probably go, otherwise they'll give up my seat," she sighed. She didn't want to leave all of a sudden. At that moment, she just wanted to rush to Richard and accept his offer to come back. Of course, she knew she wouldn't do that, but she still wanted to.

"Do you really have to go already?" Alex asked, flinching at how girly that sounded. "We haven't really had much time together. Can't you go back tomorrow?"

Addison smiled sympathetically at him. "You know I wish I could," she answered, "but I do have a practice in LA that I need to get back to. I'll come back soon, I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Alex vowed, pulling on her waist to capture her lips.

Addison's eyes fluttered closed, and the busy airport around them melted away as they kissed each other tenderly. "_Really_ soon," Addison pledged when they stopped. A big goofy smile adorned her face. "But I really have to go now."

"Call me when you land?" Addison nodded and leaned in for one last peck before extricating herself from his embrace. "Bye," Alex waved.

"Bye," Addison waved back. She turned back around and walked to join the line inching closer and closer to the metal detectors.

**8D**

Addison arrived at work the next day smiling, a fact that did not go unnoticed by her best friend. After the morning meeting, Naomi followed the OB/GYN to her office and closed the door behind her.

"What the hell happened in Seattle?" Naomi dove straight in.

Addison raised her head from her purse in surprise. She didn't even hear the door close. "Hey, Nae," she greeted, trying to remind her friend of the normal social proprieties. "How are you today?"

Naomi simply fixed a stare on the woman who stood holding her purse in one hand and digging through it with the other. "I'm just fine, Addison. How are you?" she forced out. Curiosity was eating her insides. She needed information _now_.

"I'm great," Addison answered, resuming her quest to find her cell phone in the deep abyss that was her bag.

"That, right there, is why I'm asking," Naomi prefaced, pointing to the small smile gracing Addison's features. "What the hell happened in Seattle?"

Addison's smile grew a little bit as she looked back up at Naomi. "It was just a good trip for me, that's all," she excused.

"That's crap, and you know it," Naomi replied. "It was your first visit to Seattle since you left. We were all prepared for you to be coming back miserable and wondering why you even went back up in the first place."

Addison cringed at that. She knew it was very likely it could have happened, but it still hurt to hear it said out loud. "Okay, if I tell you, you do not get to tell anybody else, and you do _not_ get to judge," she mandated. Naomi nodded impatiently and waited for her to drop the bomb. "I'm seeing Alex Karev."

It took a minute for what Addison said to mean anything at all to Naomi. The name sounded familiar, but she just couldn't place it to a face. And then she realized—it was because she'd never _met_ him, but she had heard about him. "Alex Karev as in dumped-you-for-a-pregnant-amnesiac-patient Alex Karev?"

Sometimes Addison truly regretted telling her best friend these things, but she couldn't take it back, so she squeezed her eyes shut against the bad memories and nodded. Opening her eyes, she saw Naomi looking at her with incredulous eyes. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just I never pictured you to be the 'older woman,'" Naomi mused.

"Shut up," Addison mumbled.

"So you're saying you're never bothered by his age?" Naomi asked, sitting down on the arm of Addison's couch.

"No, not never," Addison admitted. "It is kind of awkward sometimes when I remember he's ten years younger than me."

"But...?"

Addison sat in her office chair and played with her dark hair. "But he keeps up with me so well that sometimes I completely forget about his age."

"Do you think it'll ever become an issue?" Naomi kept on, making sure Addison wasn't just setting herself up to get hurt again.

Addison considered the question for a few seconds before firmly shaking her head. "It's just a number, and chances are, I'm going to outlive him anyway."

"I should never have shown you that Women's Health magazine," Naomi chided herself.

"You really shouldn't have," Addison agreed, laughing.

**8D**

A month later, Addison stepped out of the elevator on the fifth floor of the building and entered the lobby of Oceanside Wellness. She nodded a good morning to Dell as she passed him by, failing to note the amused look on his face.

Walking into her office, she dropped her purse behind her desk, picked up her first patient's file and started to leave the room. "Morning, Karev," she greeted, never even lifting her eyes from the file. She had a foot out the door before she registered what she had just said. Her dark red—she was letting the dye fade out—hair flew as she spun around to face the man sitting on her couch. "Alex?"

Alex stared at her for a minute and then was just about dying with laughter. "Miss me?" he finally got out after containing his laughter. He stood up and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend's waist, bringing her in for a soft kiss.

"Hi," Addison greeted once again. "What are you doing here?" She brought her hands up to rest on his arms, holding the file between her fingers and his bicep.

"I got a couple days off, and I decided to come down and surprise you," Alex told her, watching Addison's eyes crinkle with her smile. "That's okay, right?" Instead of an answer, Addison dropped her file on the table beside the couch and brought his face to her own for a much more heated hello than he had given her. When they separated, Alex smirked. "I guess it's okay."

"No, it's not, Karev," Addison corrected, acting very much like his superior once again. She took her hands away from his face and placed them on her hips, just above his arms. "Because you didn't have the forethought to inform me of your impending arrival, I still have a full day of work scheduled, and I can't get out of it." She glared at him with accusatory eyes. "You're going to have to wait all day for me to get off work before we can even do anything together, and that's a whole day wasted."

Alex began to see the truth in her words and silently berated himself. "I'm sorry for wanting to surprise my girlfriend," he responded sarcastically.

Addison stared at him for another second before breaking his hold on her and walking over to her desk. Reaching behind it, she grabbed her purse and took out her house key. "Here," she said, handing him the key. "Go to the front desk and tell Dell that I said to give you my address and directions. Hang out at my house for the day. I'll be home around five-thirty, and then we could go grab a bite to eat, or something."

Alex held out his hand, and Addison dropped the key into his palm. "What the hell am I supposed to do for eight hours?" he whined.

This was one of those times Addison remembered he was ten years younger than her, but this was also one of the times it made her smile. "You're wishing you'd called right about now, aren't you?" He nodded glumly. "I have a fully stocked kitchen and a very large TV. Go crazy—within limits," she amended. She remembered those huge parties that would go on at the Grey commune. He nodded a little more enthusiastically this time. "Now go. I have patients." She pecked him one last time and flashed him a smile as he walked out of her office. As Alex's body left her line of sight, a new body entered it. Pete was frozen with his hand on the kitchen door, staring at her.

Silently cursing her carelessness, Addison picked up the file from the couch and began to walk out of her office and past him. "Good morning, Pete," she greeted civilly.

"Who was that?" Pete asked her, touching her elbow as she passed him. There was no jealousy in his voice, just simple curiosity.

"That was my boyfriend," Addison answered simply. They had settled into a tentative friendship since she had turned down his invitation for a date, but she had no idea how the reason _why_ she turned him down would go over with him.

"How come we haven't seen him before?"

"He lives in Seattle." Pete's eyebrows raised a little bit at hearing that. "What?"

"Long-distance?" He looked her up and down. "I never pictured you as the long-distance type of person."

Remembering Naomi's comment from a month earlier, Addison sighed exasperatedly and muttered, "You people need to stop picturing me as things."

**A/N: Okay, so here's the deal. I don't want to make this into a love triangle, but I need a new idea to create a drama arc for this story. So please, **_**please**_** send in some suggestions with those reviews! Much appreciated.**


	6. Dinner Date

Picking up the Pieces

A **Grey's Anatomy** fic by Gigi

Chapter 6: Dinner Date

**A/N: Okay, so two months of not updating is **_**not**_** bad. Try going for almost a year without updating, like I have done with my Gossip Girl fic (Masquerade, if anyone's interested). Just be happy you haven't hit the six month mark. Woo!**

Addison unlocked her door and walked down the hallway of her beach house to find her boyfriend asleep on the couch, with the remote dangerously close to falling out of his hand. Halfway through rolling her eyes, Addison caught sight of a beautifully set dinner table, complete with a full plate for her and an identical plate for him, and it suddenly made sense why he was so tired.

Smiling, she dropped her keys and bag by the couch and knelt down to gently nudge Alex awake. "Hey," she whispered when he opened his eyes.

"Hey," Alex answered groggily.

"Did you spend all day making me dinner?"

Alex's eyes slowly adjusted themselves to the light of the room. "No," he denied somewhat lamely. "I watched football for an hour."

Addison laughed and kissed him softly on the lips. "That's really sweet of you," she declared.

"I know," Alex yawned as he sat up and stretched. "God, that was a good nap."

**8D**

Addison and Alex sat at the table half an hour later, silently picking at their respective plates of food with their forks. They'd only sat down ten minutes ago, and they'd already exhausted work, Seattle and how Addison found the world's most comfortable couch.

Addison was dying inside. They never used to have a problem with talking, not in Seattle nor in their biweekly phone conversations. They always had plenty to talk about, and one of them usually had to abruptly hang up on the other so they wouldn't look like exhausted wrecks the next morning at work. And every now and then, he would send her a text or shoot her an email about something funny he wanted to share, and they'd carry that conversation on for the rest of the day. So what was wrong with now?

Stuffing a bite of pasta in her mouth, Addison chanced a glance at her companion, trying to muster up the courage to begin some awkward small talk. She hated small talk, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She washed down her food with a sip of red wine and finally started. "The food's amazing, Alex," she prompted. _Please have some great, beloved aunt or grandmother who taught you this recipe so we can talk about her instead of continuing with this silent movie!_

"Thanks," he said succinctly. He looked as uncomfortable as Addison did, but he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Where did you learn to cook anyway?" She was groping at straws, she knew that, but she had to keep the conversation going before she drove herself insane.

"Izzie," he admitted, feeling guilty for bringing up an ex-girlfriend on their first official date. _Idiot_, he berated himself, _Rule Number 1: _Never_ mention another woman on a first date!_ "When we lived together, she taught me a lot of things in the kitchen."

"You lived together?" Addison asked, surprised at how much hearing that hurt. She knew they'd been together before, but she never thought it was that serious.

Alex wanted to slap himself in the forehead. "Yeah, but not as a couple. We both lived in Meredith's house." Open mouth. Insert foot.

At the mention of her ex-husband's girlfriend's name—not that she resented Meredith, just that it brought back some awful memories—Addison reverted her attentions to poking around at her chicken alfredo.

The rest of the meal passed in silence but for the clink of silverware on the plates. When they both finished, Addison stood and took the plates to the sink to soak. As she filled the dishes with water and wine glasses with water, she felt arms snake around her waist and Alex nuzzle her neck, touching his lips to her ear.

"Did I mention how beautiful you look?" he murmured huskily.

Addison's hands froze in the sink, knowing where this was going. She resisted the urge to turn around and instead decided to flirt back. "No, and while I appreciate that you said it, I don't usually put out on the first date," she stated coyly, enjoying the feeling of his breath on her neck.

Alex, through some maneuvering of his hands that Addison never understood, flipped her around so she was facing him, mere inches away from his face. "Except that you already have," he commented with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes. "Like a year ago," she amended. She wasn't even paying attention to Alex's eyes anymore, because she had to be right. She was Addison Forbes Montgomery. She was always right. "That really doesn't count anymo--"

Alex cut her off with a kiss. Addison's eyes drifted closed as she let the passion that had lain dormant for a month came pouring out. Slipping her hands up his chest, she tilted her head to deepen the kiss while he stepped forward and trapped her between him and the sink. Slowly, she slipped the top button of his shirt out of its hole, fingering the small bit of chest hair she could access.

She broke the kiss and looked her boyfriend directly into his indigo eyes. "Trust me," she promised, "last year really won't count at all after tonight."

**8D**

A bottle of aspirin sat open on the kitchen counter when Naomi walked into the office the next morning. There stood Addison, with the vaguest hint of circles underneath her eyes, popping two aspirin.

"Rough night?"

Addison groaned. "I don't care how hot it is. Having sex on the table and against the wall is really not worth the pain it causes later," she declared, knuckling her back. "My back has bruises all over it. I look like I've been abused."

Naomi laughed. If there was ever a predicament to be in, her best friend seemed to find the best ones. "So you had a _really_ rough night."

Nodding, Addison took a seat at the counter, cradling a cup of coffee. "Dinner was extremely awkward. We couldn't keep a conversation going for more than two minutes at a time, and then when I got up to do the dishes, he pretty much jumped me." Addison shrugged as she sipped her caffeine. "Not that I minded that he jumped me," she admitted, "but the only fun time we spent together was during sex, so we did it over and over and ove--"

"Okay," Naomi halted, holding her hand up. "I got it. You did it a lot."

"What if the only reason we're together is because we're just good together in bed?"

And so the unending question was asked, and Naomi had no idea how to answer it.

**A/N: Alas! An update! Now, press the pretty little (kinda big) button and make a certain writer **_**very**_** happy. That could totally be taken as a euphemism. Didn't mean for it to be. REVIEW!**


	7. Trials and Tapes

Picking up the Pieces

A **Grey's Anatomy** fic by Gigi

Chapter 7: Trials and Tapes

**A/N: Okay, so it's been like three or four months since I've updated, and I'm sad to say it wasn't simply due to my crappy updating skills. Please, if you're reading this story, just take a minute and review it, because I honestly don't enjoy feeling like nobody is reading this. I could just focus my efforts on the stories people **_**are**_** reading, so please, if you want me to continue updating this, drop me a review.**

"_What if the only reason we're together is because we're just good together in bed?"_

_And so the unending question was asked, and Naomi had no idea how to answer it._

Addison came home after a long and difficult day at work—how she managed to avoid a major lawsuit after the baby she delivered almost died because of the mother's own stupidity, she still can't begin to fathom—and threw her keys in the bowl on a table next to her door. She started to tiptoe down the hallway until she heard the television was on, so she allowed her heels to announce her presence to her boyfriend. Right now, she needed her heels. Her heels made her taller. They made her confident. After the question she asked her best friend that morning, she needed every ounce of confidence she could get.

She came into the living room to see Alex sitting up on the couch, with one arm draped across the back of it as if waiting for a woman to sit next to him so he could wrap his arm around her. "Hey," he called over his shoulder, hearing the telltale clicking of her heels against the wood floor. "How was work?"

For some inexplicable reason, Alex asking her that question brought a smile to Addison's previously frown-ridden face. "It was awful," she declared, walking over to the couch, kicking off her heels and curling up next to Alex. She buried her face in his chest and continued, "I almost had a huge lawsuit on my hands because this woman broke her own water with a knitting needle."

Alex ripped his eyes from the television and gazed at his girlfriend in surprise. "She broke her _own_ water?" he repeated incredulously.

Addison nodded and lifted her head to rest on Alex's shoulder. "She was only 27 weeks pregnant, and she and her husband paid the practice eighty thousand dollars so that Naomi would select an embryo that was a genetic match for their seven-year-old son, who has leukemia."

"Why?" Alex interrupted.

"So they can use the umbilical fluid to transfuse into their son," Addison answered, sounding very much like his teacher again.

"I didn't know that was legal," Alex mused, his eyes drifting back toward the television.

"It's controversial, but yeah, it's legal," Addison confirmed. "Anyway, they had a partial blood donor who was going to help him survive until she came to term, but he got pneumonia and had to back out, so they wanted me to deliver the baby today."

"Did you?"

"Not by choice," Addison sighed. "All this happened yesterday, and I told them I couldn't in good faith purposefully deliver a pre-me. Today I got a page to the hospital, and she broke her water with a knitting needle and needed an emergent c-section." Alex brought his arm down from the back of the couch and started rubbing circles in her back, trying to calm her down. "And now the daughter is alive, barely, and they tried to blame me for the fact that she is dependent on drugs to keep her alive for the next two months in the hospital. The only reason they didn't sue was because I spent an hour in my office proving to them one, that it was out of my control and two, that they had no case. It was awful."

"Ugh, that makes me sick," Alex commented. A thought occurred to him that gave him pause, and he looked down at the redhead leaning against him. "Were you this torn up when I told Mr. Ward to get a lawyer?"

Addison lifted her head in surprise. She hadn't been expecting him to bring _that_ up. They both tended to gloss over the time when she was still "She-Shepherd" and he was still her insubordinate intern whenever they talked, which included the incident he just mentioned.

"Honestly, I was more pissed off than torn up," she confessed, looking Alex in the eye. "Back then, you were still this cocky intern who really didn't care what I thought of you as long as you could get away from me, so I assigned you to my service. I got my revenge another way." A coy smile crept up onto Addison's face at that last sentence.

"I'm still sorry," Alex apologized. "I was stupid to do something like that. I wasn't even thinking about what it would do to your reputation or the hospital's. And I'm—"

Addison silenced him by placing two fingers on his mouth. "It's really okay, Alex," she insisted. "You're a different man now. You don't have to apologize." When she lowered her fingers, she noticed a thoughtful look in Alex's eyes. "What?"

"Nothing, you're just a bigger person than I ever could be," Alex stated wonderingly.

The corners of Addison's lips tugged upwards as she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Pulling back, she shifted so she was leaning into him once again as they both faced the television. "What are we watching?" she asked, all worries about their relationship put aside.

**8D**

Addison had a much better day at work the next day, and so when she came home, she had a smile on her face and food in her hand. Placing the bag of food on the countertop in her kitchen, she walked over to wear Alex was sitting on the couch and, ignoring the television, snaked her arms around his neck from behind and kissed his cheek in greeting. "Hey," she whispered.

She received a distracted, distressed response, which was a noticeable shift from yesterday. "You okay?" she asked before raising her eyes to the television and suddenly understanding his distance.

He'd found her and Derek's wedding video.

"You look so happy in this," Alex observed pensively. "I've never seen you this happy before."

Addison straightened from her position behind the couch, silently noting that Alex was heading over into freak-out mode. She needed damage control. Fast. "It was my wedding day. Of course, I was happy."

"But you're not just happy," Alex persisted. "You're _blissfully_ happy."

Sighing, Addison walked around the couch and sat a foot away from him, looking him in the eye. "Yes, I was blissfully happy. I was getting married to a man who meant the world to me. But do you think I would have been that happy had I known he was going to grow distant and miss anniversaries? That I was going to become so desperate for his attention that I would sleep with his best friend?"

Alex shook his head, not in answer to her question, but in a way that screamed that she wasn't getting it. "That's not the kind of happiness that comes around very often."

Addison's eyes widened when she realized where this conversation was headed, so she quickly tried to steer it in another direction. "How'd you find this video anyway? I was sure I'd lost it when I moved here."

"It was in a box in your library that had piles and piles of medical textbooks on top of it, like you were trying to bury it under your work," Alex answered solemnly. "I was bored and curious, so I looked through it."

"Since when are you someone who analyzes the symbolism behind people's actions?" Addison tried to tease, but when she saw Alex's face, she knew it was a futile attempt. "Okay, so why is it so important how happy I was on that tape?"

"I could never make you that happy," Alex muttered, choosing to look at the space of blue-green cloth of the couch between his hand and hers. He wanted so much to reach across that space and wrap her slender, workman's hand in his rough, wrestler's hand. But suddenly that space of blue-green upholstery seemed to span an insurmountable distance, and no amount of stretching would ever be enough for him to touch her soft skin.

Addison shifted in her seat, hating the sobriety of the situation, hating how lifeless Alex's eyes had become. She leaned back onto the soft cushion of the couch and looked around the room, her eyes alighting on a packed suitcase by the stairs. Turning her head slowly to face her boyfriend once more, she timidly asked, "So you're leaving?"

Alex nodded, rubbing his face tiredly. "I have to be back at work tomorrow, so I've got a flight in a few hours."

Stamping down the disappointment that arose in her stomach, Addison cocked her head to the side. "Well, do you need a ride to the airport?"

Alex shook his head. "I'm taking a cab. It should actually be here any minute now, so…" He stood up, finally gathering enough courage to gently reach for Addison's slight wrist and pull her up to stand near him.

Addison's red hair fell in front of her face as she avoided looking him in the face, afraid that she might find a shade of finality hiding behind those warm, chocolate eyes. Alex placed a hand underneath her chin and brought her lips to his in a soft, savory kiss that left Addison confused as he walked away.

The kiss obviously meant goodbye. But what was the goodbye to? Was it an until-next-time goodbye? Or was it an I'm-sorry-I'm-not-good-enough-for-you goodbye?

Addison brought the back of her hand to her mouth and pressed her lips to it, hoping to God it wasn't the latter.

**A/N: Okay, so I'm obviously not in a very cheery mood. But it's really dreary outside, and that's a kind of depressing weather for the last day of 2009. Anyway, please review and cheer me up!**


	8. Run, Alex, Run

Picking up the Pieces

A **Grey's Anatomy** fic by Gigi

Chapter 8: Run, Alex, Run

**A/N: Huh, I actually forgot about this fic, probably because I only got 4 reviews for the last chapter. Even worse, the most reviews I've gotten for one chapter in this fic was 6. There's a nifty gadget on this site that lets me see how many people are reading each chapter, so I **_**know**_** there are more of you out there, but why should I put in the effort to write this if nobody puts in the effort to review it? Seriously. If you are actually enjoying this fic and want to keep reading it, bear that in mind, because I might not remember to update this again. It's not a threat, but it's the truth. As of now, though, I'll probably start wrapping this up, so this is going to be a much shorter chapter than usual, because obviously it's not one of my most enjoyed fics.**

_The kiss obviously meant goodbye. But what was the goodbye to? Was it an until-next-time goodbye? Or was it an I'm-sorry-I'm-not-good-enough-for-you goodbye?_

_Addison brought the back of her hand to her mouth and pressed her lips to it, hoping to God it wasn't the latter._

Addison was distracted when she went in for work that morning. Naomi watched her come in ten minutes later than she usually did, with her hair tied hastily into a ponytail and with the hint of dark circles under her eyes. She just sat down at her desk and stared at the calendar in front of her for a few minutes, all the while taking deep, calming breaths.

From her vantage point in the kitchen, Naomi stood stirring her tea until it was room temperature and then some. She couldn't take her eyes off her best friend, who was obviously dealing with something big in her personal life, waiting for the time to pass until her need to be alone subsided.

This time, however, the time was not hers to determine. Naomi only had enough time to see the resolve form on Addison's face before the redhead got up and strode purposefully out of her office and into the kitchen. "Addison," Naomi started, but the other woman gave her no chance to ever say what she planned to.

"I need you to drive me to the airport," Addison declared.

"What?" Whatever Naomi had thought Addison was going to say, that particular sentence had never crossed her mind.

"I'm going home to pack and book a flight to Seattle, and I need you to meet me there in an hour so you can drive me to the airport," Addison explained, but Naomi could tell there was no room for questions or reasoning. Whether she wanted to or not, Naomi knew she would have to drive her best friend to the airport. Addison was already walking out of the kitchen to gather her things from her office and clear her schedule, and Naomi rushed to catch up with her.

"Wait!" she urged, whipping the redhead around by her elbow. "Just tell me one thing, and then I promise I'll drive you to the airport."

"Shoot," Addison acquiesced impatiently.

"Why the hell are you going to Seattle?"

Naomi expected a soppy, emotional answer, but, once again, Addison surprised her today. "To yell at my boyfriend," she answered simply before extricating herself from Naomi's grasp and going into her office.

Naomi just stood there for a second, and as she made her way to her own office, she couldn't help but whisper, "Run, Alex. Run for your life."

**8D**

Addison's anger survived throughout the car ride, the airport lines, the waiting room, the flight and the cab ride to the Grey commune, and it was still going strong as she stood on Meredith Grey's doorstep, waiting for the skinny blonde twelve-year-old who stole her husband—normally she was much more gracious toward the skinny blonde twelve-year-old who stole her husband, but Addison was way too angry for grace—to answer the insistent knocking and doorbell ringing.

After what seemed like an eternity that could be better spent yelling at a certain resident, the door finally swung open to reveal the mousey surgical resident. "Addison?" Meredith asked, obviously confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Where's Karev?" Addison demanded, trying her very hardest to temper her voice so she didn't further cement her reputation as Seattle's Satan. She wasn't too sure how well she succeeded at that.

Puzzlement plain on her face, Meredith stammered, "Um, not here. He doesn't live here anymore."

"_Where_?" Addison pushed. At the same moment the word left her lips in a low growl, a gust of wind blew against her back, sending her red hair whipping toward Meredith, who stepped backwards despite herself.

"The apartment complex across from the hospital," Meredith hastened to provide. "Apartment 4A."

"Thank you." And with that, Addison turned and made her way down the walkway back to the waiting cab.

As soon as the last of the red hair disappeared into the cab, Meredith couldn't help but whisper a small warning in the breeze. "Whatever it was you did, Alex, you better run for it before she catches you."

**A/N: That's all you get for now. The next chapter will likely be the last, so please don't make me feel like the bitchiest person in the world for demanding reviews. I hate feeling like that, and I hate having to, so **_**please**_** REVIEW!**


	9. Never Say Never

Picking up the Pieces

A **Grey's Anatomy** fic by Gigi

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

Chapter 9: Never Say Never

**A/N: Alas, we have come to the end of this saga. I'm pretty sure I've used that exact same sentence in the author's note for another one of my ending chapters in my few completed fics. I'm updating this out of order because I really just want to finish it. It's time. I hope you've enjoyed the ride.**

Alex kicked the door shut of his still relatively new apartment as he came home from work. He kicked off his shoes and left them in the entryway, making his way into the living room. He was unable to squelch the resentment that rose up in his stomach at the apartment. He'd gotten it for Addison, so that she could stay with him whenever she visited, so that maybe, just maybe he could convince her to move back up to Seattle. Sneering openly at his surroundings, Alex couldn't help but think it just seemed like a big waste now.

He hated this. He hated feeling like he wasn't good enough for her, and he felt like an ass because she never made him feel that way. He hated Shepherd even more for ruining his relationship with the one woman in an extremely long time he'd maybe grown to love. But he knew he couldn't hate Shepherd completely. That stupid part of his mind that always insisted on being fair pointed out that Addison never would have come into his life had she not chased her husband across the country for another chance.

That was another thing. He'd never be worthy of someone to chase across the country, much less Addison freaking Forbes Montgomery.

Grumbling at his pathetic display of self-pity, Alex threw himself on the incredibly comfortable couch he'd bought for _them_ and slung an arm over his eyes. Maybe a nap would calm him down. God knew he hadn't gotten near enough sleep the night before.

Sleep just wasn't in the cards for him, though, since as soon as he closed his eyes he heard an insistent banging on the door. Great. Had anyone ever heard of calling first?

Muttering his breath the whole way to the entryway, he swung open the door grumpily. "What?" A strong slap to his right cheek was his answer, sending his ears ringing. "What the hell?" he demanded angrily, turning his head back to face forward. His eyes widened as they beheld a furious Addison Montgomery.

"Who the _hell_ do you think you are, Alex Karev?" she all but yelled. Her eyes had turned into two pools of pale blue fire, and her vibrant red hair hung windswept around her shoulders. Even fuming as she was, she was still beautiful. "Who the hell are you to determine what or who will make me happy? You have no right—_no _right—to make me feel as if it was my fault to have loved before or to have been blissfully happy on my wedding day. You don't get to make me feel guilty or like every guy I date is always going to turn tail as soon as they hear I was happily married for almost 12 years! You don't get to freaking _break up with me _over a damn _wedding video_!"

As Addison took a breath from her rant, her eyes still glaring daggers at him, a thought, a wonderfully happy thought, occurred to Alex. She'd chased him. She'd followed him to Seattle just as she had Derek. He didn't get the chance to further the thought; Addison was getting her second wind.

"And you _really_ lost any right to do any of that to me after all that crap you pulled on me when I still lived here," she added heatedly. "You really think I deserved to be yelled at in a supply closet, or shot down after one night for a pregnant amnesiac _who happened to be our patient_? Or jumped in that _same_ closet? And you think after all that _you're_ allowed to dump _me_?" She'd started poking him in the chest with a finger with every question, forcing him back into the apartment. "You tried so hard to catch me this time around, and when you finally do, you flip out because you won't make me happy? _No_, that's not your choice to make!" Alex opened his mouth to say something, but she forestalled him. "I _was_ happy, you dipwad! I was happier than I've been in years, and you threw that all in the trash because of a _video_."

He could tell by now that she could go on yelling at him for a good couple of hours, and she wasn't going to let him get a single word in edgewise. At some point, she'd closed the door behind her with her foot, and she was slowly forcing him farther and farther into the apartment to continue berating him.

"And there was no way in hell I wasn't going to come here so soon, so wipe that surprised look of your face. You think I was going to wait two months and give you the chance to fall in love with someone else? Like hell I would! I've already made that mistake once, and I've no intention of repeating it," she yelled.

There it was. She'd admitted to chasing after him. She cared enough about him that she was willing to chase him to what was probably her least favorite city in the world. Alex's heart soared when she wasn't going to let him fall in love with anyone else. Was that her own twisted way of saying she had fallen in love with him?

Somehow the thought gave him the courage to stop letting himself be pushed around. Instead, he started pressing forward, taking a hold of the hand that insisted on poking him painfully in the chest.

Addison had no idea when she lost the control of the situation, but she found herself being slowly but steadily pushed back. "What are you doing?" she challenged, but the heat in her voice was giving way to the heat in his eyes and the gentleness in his grip on her hand. Her back hit the closed door. "Alex, what the hell are you doing? Get off me! I'm trying to yell at you, and you're ruining it!"

Faster than she could have imagined, Alex had pulled her hand backwards, which plastered her body to his as he took another step forward. He placed her hand on his lower back, his eyes betraying an all too familiar look of desire and…something else. If it was amusement, she'd kill him. The last thing she needed right now was him laughing at her.

"Karev—" she started again, but Alex's lips crashing down on hers cut her off and swallowed whatever she was going to say into his mouth. His tongue slipped into her open mouth without hesitation, and Addison found herself grateful for his sandwiching her between himself and the door. She wasn't sure she would have been able to keep standing. Ripping her lips from his, she stubbornly stared into his almost black eyes with her own indigo ones. "That's not fair."

"Too bad," he panted, before resuming the searing kiss. Soon he started his way along her jawbone, peppering it with kisses. Every time he kissed her, he would lift his head and say a word. "Thank…you…for…chasing…me."

A shudder passed through her before she regained enough control of herself to grab his head on either side and force him to look her in the eye. "You're never allowed to say you'll never make me that happy, Alex Karev," she warned. The effect was kind of ruined thanks to her labored breathing. "Because you'll be wrong, and I hate liars."

"Deal," Alex nodded. "Seriously, though, thank you for coming after me. This apartment probably would have gone to waste if you didn't."

"This apartment?" Addison repeated, puzzled. Both of them had momentarily forgotten that she was pushed up against the door with him pressed as closely against her as humanly possible.

"I got it so you wouldn't have to always go to Meredith's house when you came to visit," Alex answered. "Besides, Derek is there way too often, and the only sex sounds I need to be hearing are when they are coming from our mouths."

Addison cocked her head to the side in touched surprise. He'd bought this apartment…for them. This was the furthest she'd ever heard of him going in a relationship. "Yeah, it's not a big turn-on to hear your ex-husband going at it with his little 12 year old." Addison's eyes widened at her slip. She'd forgotten that _he_ was a 12-year-old.

Chuckling, Alex kissed her lightly on the nose. "For the record, I'm four years older than Meredith. I had to keep taking time off from college and med school to work to pay for them and my mother's medical bills, and she took a break before going to med school, too."

"So you're saying you're 34?" Addison clarified, surprised. Then she surprised him with a slap on his arm. "How come you let me spend a _month and a half_ thinking I was a freaking decade older than you?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "You never asked, Addison." He saved her the embarrassment of coming up with a lame response by dipping his head and kissing her again. When they had both sufficiently riled the other one, Alex broke the kiss only enough to talk. "Want to put this apartment to good use?"

Addison smiled coyly against his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Well, we wouldn't want it to go to waste, now would we?" A squeal left her lips when he picked her up by the waist and wrapped her legs around his, leading her deeper into the apartment.

**A/N: Well, that's it! I hope you guys enjoyed this last chapter. I'm sure some of you were expecting me to write in professions of love, but I've only ever seen angry professions of love work between Ross and Rachel in Friends. I didn't want to ruin it by trying to emulate them. Anyway, please review! It's been great writing this, but I hope you had just as much fun reading it. REVIEW!**


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